Mock Sibert Winner 2025: We have a tie!

The American Library Association awards the Sibert Medal to the creators of "the most distinguished informational book for children published in the U.S. in English." This year, for the first time, we had a tie between two of the four finalists for the Garden City Mock Sibert:

Hello, I'm a Sloth, written by Hayley Rocco and illustrated by John Rocco

Erno Rubik and His Magic Cube, written by Kerry Aradhya and illustrated by Kara Kramer

Second-graders shared their reasons for their choices, as well as some of the facts they learned: 

• Sloths can swim in the water.
• I like animals.
• Sloths are cute.
• I liked the pictures.
• My favorite thing is they are slow climbers.
• Sloths are so cute and brave.
• Sloths go down the tree once a week to poop.
• They can fall 100 feet out of a tree to the ground.
• They have green hair.
• Sloths hang upside down to live.
• It tells us about facts we might never have heard.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• I like Rubik's Cubes.
• This book gave us the most information.
• He never gave up.
• Erno Rubik grew up in Hungary.
• He used rubber bands for his first cube.
• His job was a math teacher.
• It is cool.
• He studied art and architecture.
• He had a square head in the pictures.
• It is fun to play.
• He loved puzzles.
  
  

Our Sibert Winner

The American Library Association awards the Sibert Medal to the creators of "the most distinguished informational book for children published in the U.S. in English." This year, second graders chose their winner for the Garden City Mock Sibert: Butt or Face? by Kari Lavelle garnered half of the votes cast among the three finalists. 

FYI, here are our Honor books ... I have learned that students love animal facts more than biographies of humans:

Our Inaugural Sibert Winner Is ...

goodreads.com

The American Library Association awards the Sibert Medal to the creators of "the most distinguished informational book for children published in the U.S. in English." This year, second-graders chose their winner for the Garden City Mock Sibert by a landslide: I am the Shark by Joan Holub, illustrated by Laurie Keller. 

Here are some reasons the kids voted for it:

• It is so so so so funny.
  
  
• I learned that the whale shark is as big as a bus.
  
  
• I like how one of the characters can't figure out what he is best at.
  
  
• I learned a lot about different sharks.
  
  
• It means you are special.
  
  
• I like how he says, "I am the best at swimming" and then this guy says "No, I am the best swimmer."
  
  
• I never knew there were so many sharks.
  
  
• I liked the pictures in the book.
  
  
• It has facts in it and it was funny.
  
  
• It is all about sharks and what they can do.
  
  
• Did you know a tiger shark is a really good hunter?
  
  
• Because everyone says "no you're not" whenever he said he is good at something.
  
  
• I learned that the Greenland shark can live up to 400 years old.
  
  
• He keeps saying "I am the best shark!"
  
  
• Sharks are my favorite animal.
  
  
• Every time he thinks of something he is, then it is wrong.
  
  
• It shows a life lesson to be kind and love yourself, and it's fun for kids.